Rep. Chris Smith leaves Twitter. Others should follow (Opinion)
There’s absolutely no good news coming out of Twitter anymore. It’s either fake news or gloom and doom.
“Doomscrolling” — the act of continuous scrolling on Twitter, reading more and more bad news as you go — is the order of the day.
Not to mention the outright censorship of anything that doesn’t jibe with the popular ideology.
And by now, most of us have come to realize that the only facts you will actually learn on Twitter are those that have been approved by the cognoscenti. And when I say cognoscenti, I mean the establishment: The high-tech gurus of Twitter, Google, Facebook and the like.
So what is there to get out of Twitter anymore? A place to vent? A place for like-minded people to gather? A place for an intelligent exchange of ideas?
Nope. Perhaps that was the original intent of Twitter but now it has devolved into a gossip mongering, rumor swirling, hate spewing petri dish of filth and lies. And a couple of good people still trying to hang on and weed through all the BS.
But some good people (even politicians,) like representative Chris Smith, have realized the truth about Twitter. Smith’s representatives, according to an article on Patch.com, said he finally deactivated his account because “divisive, hate-filled tweets have become far too frequent and impede the healing needed today.”
According to the piece, Smith, who represents the 4th Congressional District, wisely stopped doing town halls where hecklers and those with animosity toward him would show up and cause chaos and, in some cases, even make threats. He was criticized for this decision even though Smith‘s team explained that he frequently communicates with his constituents through email, his website and Instagram.
The article goes on to explain that on Twitter, specifically, Smith had also been been criticized for speculating that Antifa may have participated in the storming of the Capitol building in Jan. 6. But, in my opinion, anyone whose opinion differs from the prevailing “wisdom” of the left will be criticized no matter what he does.
Let’s hope that more like Smith actually come to understand the evil that, for the most part, is social media in general and Twitter specifically, and will hop off the platform.
I’d love for more politicians to demonstrate a firm and unilateral rejection of these new oligarchs and their platforms who, for now at least, control the country and ultimately, the world.
The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Judi Franco. Any opinions expressed are Judi’s own.